


Every Book Brings a New Adventure

by ShebaRen



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Apartment hunting, Getting Together, Good Peter Hale, Kid Fic, Kid Malia Tate, Librarian Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Pre-Slash, Single Parent Peter Hale, Steter Secret Santa 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:15:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28225221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShebaRen/pseuds/ShebaRen
Summary: It wasn’t Peter's fault that the gorgeous woman he had a one night stand with three years ago  was a wanted serial killer, was it? But when "The Desert Wolf" got caught and her child turned out to be his, it was definitely a surprise. But he wanted to know the little girl, and in the months following, the two bond more deeply than he would have thought possible. At first, she’s shy. Wary of any kind of attention and silent - underdeveloped, the social worker said. But she was also inquisitive when allowed. Liked his hugs and smiled at him. He filed for custody when Corinne ( the “Desert Wolf”) was sentenced to prison and took his daughter, Malia, home.Sadly, people were a bunch of judgemental idiots who didn’t believe he didn’t have any idea about Malia, Corinne and the entire killing people business, whis is how he ended up back in his old hometown: Beacon Hills.
Relationships: Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 11
Kudos: 254





	Every Book Brings a New Adventure

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SquishySterek (Herm_own_ninny)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herm_own_ninny/gifts).



> Happy Holidays, SquishySterek! This might not be exactly what you were looking for, but I hope you enjoy it none the less.
> 
> Also, this work is not beta read.

It wasn’t Peter's fault that the gorgeous woman he had a one night stand with three years ago was a wanted serial killer, was it? But when "The Desert Wolf" got caught and her child turned out to be his, it was definitely a surprise. But he wanted to know the little girl, and in the months following, the two bond more deeply than he would have thought possible. At first, she’s shy. Wary of any kind of attention and silent - underdeveloped, the social worker said. But she was also inquisitive when allowed. Liked his hugs and smiled at him. He filed for custody when Corinne ( the “Desert Wolf”) was sentenced to prison and took his daughter, _Malia_ , home.

Sadly, people were a bunch of judgemental idiots who didn’t believe he didn’t have any idea about Malia, Corinne and the entire killing people business, whis is how he ended up back in his old hometown: Beacon Hills. 

He had arrived at the dusty old motel that had seen better days yesterday evening, with a tired and cranky three year old in tow. Said three old was currently throwing a tantrum because she was tired and bored and didn’t like to eat her greens for lunch after the exciting week they’ve had. Peter hadn’t slept more than three hours for the last three days and sympathised.

“Yes, I know, everything is stupid and unfair right now.” He lifted her up and just hugged her, hoping she would calm down soon.

When her sobs had finally subsided and Malia was getting heavier with every minute in his arms, he let out his breath. Pressing a kiss to her head, Peter asked her if she wanted to take a nap. Mutely Malia shook her head no. Peter knew that it was mostly the tiredness that made her cranky and sighed internally. “Of course not. Do you want to help me look for a new house?“ 

She nodded against his chest.

“Alright, sweety. I'm gonna put you down for a minute to get my laptop, okay?“ 

Her breath hitched and her arms tightened against his neck. Peter rubbed her back soothingly. “No? That's okay. Daddy can do it like this. Look.“

It took a while to get his laptop from its case one handed, though his arm was starting to burn with the effort needed to carry Malia the entire time. But she was relaxed and blinking heavily when he finally sat down and started it up. It didn't take long at all for his low murmuring and the white noise of the laptop fan to lull her completely into sleep.

He looked at houses first, but there were not a lot, as expected for such a small town. He had some savings and even though he was working from home right now, it was with reduced hours, so his finances weren’t so great that he could afford one of the better houses available. And those that fit in the budget were more fixer uppers than anything else, the mental calculations for the things that needed fixing were adding more numbers than he was comfortable with, especially as he would still need a place to stay for the duration of the repairs. 

He risked a look at the rentable listings. One tiny one-bedroom that looked more like a broom closet with a bed crammed in, and one apartment in what he remembered was the shadier part of town. There were no pictures attached to the second one and the description part lacked any detail. He looked at the bedroom/closet again. The landlady sounded like she was in her eighties and preferred her tenants to be of the quiet sort. He closed the real estate site with a sigh. 

This wouldn't have been a problem before, but now with Malia… He sighed again. It didn’t help that his sister had all but banned him from her home, when she’d heard about Malia’s mother. Their relationship had never been great; She was always a stickler for the rules, trying too hard to please people around her, the complete opposite of Peter’s devil may care attitude. Him being involved with a known murderer (even if he couldn't have known at the time) was just the final nail in the coffin. But he didn't know where else to go, so why not Beacon Hills where his biggest problem was apartment hunting.

To distract himself a bit he busied himself with tucking Malia into bed properly and tidying the room quietly. Well, as long as he got her out of the deal, Peter would endure.

In the afternoon, he took Malia for a long walk. The small motel room made her restless and cranky and Peter could do with a change of scenery himself. She was already in much better spirits when they arrived at the small playground of the park and he decided to let her explore it by herself. Parking himself and her stroller by the small bench, he watched as Malia tried to climb the small slide from the wrong side, sliding down every so often. He knew that she knew how slides worked, but she seemed quite determined to do it like that, so he left her to it, rather hoping she would tire herself out quicker this way.

After a while of playing with the slide, she came over to Peter.She leaned against his side, fisting the fabric of his jacket in one of her small hands. “Hungry?” She asked him and Peter smiled proudly at her. “You are hungry? I’ve got you, Sweetheart.” He gave her a slice of apple and watched her munching. She was still struggling to ask for things and he wanted to indulge her every time she did. He knew it was a slippery slope, because she was a fast learner and he had seen how quickly cuteness could become brattiness with his sister and her eldest child, Laura. He gave Malia two more slices but showed her the empty container when she asked “More apple?”. 

“Sorry, it’s all empty. But we’re going home soon, and then you can eat a big dinner, alright?”

She nodded, pouting. 

“Okay. Do you want to play a bit more before we go?” She nodded again, but didn’t move. He waited a moment. “Where do you want to play next?” He asked her gently.

What she wanted was the sandbox, he found out when she took his hand and he followed her. It was already occupied by another toddler and their babysitter, who gave him a polite smile as they approached. He nodded at her and sat down with Malia, who enthusiastically began to dig. When she noticed that he just sat there, doing nothing, she looked comically betrayed. “Da, castle! Please?“, 

And who was he, to deny such adorableness? 

***

After building a rather impressive sandcastle (and subsequently stomping all over it, in Malias case), they began their trek back to the motel. 

Peter was already thinking about what he would need to prepare for dinner when he spied something interesting. Nestled between a small cafe and an electronic store stood several tables with books in front of a small unassuming building. Curious he wandered over to browse. Last he knew, the small local bookshop had to close when the big mall with his chain bookstore hat opened on the other side of town. To his surprise, the building seemed to house a public library. With a pang he thought back to his old apartment in New York with all his books. Reading on his tablet was just not the same. 

The inside was somehow spacier than he would have expected. A small entrance area allowed them to orient themselves. There was a small area to park the stroller, so that is what he did. The last time he had used a library had been in his college days. The rest of the time he had always bought his own books. He had a handful of books for Malia that he had to read to her religiously before bedtime, and he hoped they could add a bit of variety.

Beyond that was a currently empty information desk and books. The full shelves managed to make him feel right at home, with a lot of inviting chairs interspersed through the space. There were a handful of people milling around, browsing and reading. Malia was wiggling in the stroller, clearly wanting to explore, so he parked it in a corner and freed her. “Books!” She exclaimed and he had to catch her before she managed to run off and get lost.

“Do you want to look for the childrens books, Malia?” 

“Yes!” She took his hand, towing him towards the shelves. He examined the books and shook his head. “No, these are boring books. No pictures, see?” He opened one of the novels on display and showed her. Skeptically she opened another one and pouted when that didn’t have any pictures either.

“Come on, I’m sure there have to be books for you somewhere.” 

They passed the information desk and saw that the adult section had a small adjourning room full of magazines and non-fiction; And behind that, there was quite obviously the section for children. 

“Look! There they are.“ He pointed and Malia gasped. The room was roughly the same size as the adult section, but a lot more colorful. The shelves were lower, to better reach for small bodies, and full of books. Framed posters of illustrations lined the walls and several pillows and kid sized furniture was cluttered around. But the absolute center piece was the big carpet and the biggest plush dragon Peter had ever seen that laid on it, sleeping. 

“Big!” Malia breathed in awe, and Peter had to agree. The thing was easily as long as he was tall and had about the same height as Malia. “Do you know what that is?” He asked her with a smile.

“A Dragon!” She yelled in excitement and ran over, flopping on the dragons head. 

A chuckle pulled Peter's attention away from Malia, who was now trying to imitate a dragon's roar, while jumping on it’s back. 

A young man stood between the shelves, a cart full of books next to him. He was dressed pretty casually, kind of cute in a dorky way, with his batman T-shirt and the layer of flannel over it. His name tag said ‘Stiles’.Their eyes met.

“Hi! First time visiting the library?“ He asked Peter with a knowing smile.

“Yes, for both of us actually. I didn't know Beacon Hills had a public library when I grew up here.“

“Oh yes, the building is pretty unassuming, isn't it? We’re doing our best to change that, but it’s slow going.”

“I have a feeling we will be visiting quite often in the future,” Peter said wryly with a look at his daughter. Malia had somehow lost her shoes and was now looking at the closest bookshelf in interest.

Stiles smiled again. It made his eyes crinkle and the small smattering of moles on his cheek stand out attractively. Peter tried not to stare too obviously.

“We have a storytime hour for the younger kids on wednesdays, if you are interested in making it part of your routine. Though I have to warn you, it gets quite full.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Though it would probably be good for Malia to interact with more kids her age before starting kindergarten.”

Stiles looked startled and glanced at Malia, possibly second guessing his estimate of her age. 

“I just recently gained custody of Malia. Before that she lived with her mother in somewhat difficult circumstances,” Peter explained.

Clearly, the man’s curiosity was not filled, but he refrained from inquiring further. Before the situation could turn awkward, their attention was captured by Malia, who had apparently found a book she liked and now wanted Peter to read it to her.

“Ah, excellent choice,” the librarian complimented Malia with a wink. She smiled shyly at him and Peter was inexplicably charmed by the picture they made. To Peter he said, “If you have any questions or want to issue a card to take anything home with you, don’t hesitate to ask!”

He gave them an adorable dorky wave that Malia copied with a giggle and returned to his cart to sort the books back.

Malia insisted on cuddling with the big dragon while Peter read. It took her one story and two picture books before she became too restless and begann wriggling with the need to move. Together they explored more of the library (there were a lot more comics and grafic novels than he would have thought, but also board games and a plentora of CDs and DVDs for children as well as for older audiences) and in the end he had an sizeable stack of books and games and movies in his hand that they wanted to take with them. 

They went to the front desk, where Stiles was busy showing an elderly couple how to use the self checkout. Peter used the wait to strap Malia in her stroller and to fill out the sign up form.

Stiles took it from him with a grin after waving goodbye to the couple.

“All ready for check out?” He asked, typing their details into the computer.

“Yes. We found more than enough to last us a few days.” Peter jostled their stack in emphasis.

“A few days, huh? It’s good when kids are so interested in books, even if it’s mostly pictures at that age. Every picture and every word tells a story and these stories stay with you, you know? Especially if they’re experiencing these kinds of stories with their parents together. I think it’s super important for children to have that.” 

Peter watched in fascination as Stiles began to gesture as he talked. He was clearly passionate about the subject. Too soon though, Stiles managed to reign himself in. With a sheepish grin he handed Peter his library card and showed him how to use the self checkout.

***

In the days after that, Peter found himself visiting the library quite often. If anyone had asked, he would cite the need to escape the confines of their drab motel room. The library was just an excellent choice, with free wifi and a lot of distractions for Malia so he could search for a suitable new home and catch up on the more important mails for work.

The exceedingly attractive librarian had only a little bit to do with it. Stiles was honestly more of a distraction, with his expressive hands and mischievous grins. And his layers. The layers were a problem. More than once Peter had to take a break from the library when Stiles shed the flannel while carrying stacks of books, because he feared his staring became too blatant. Peter dreamed about these forearms.

But those weren’t the only layers; When the library wasn’t busy, Stiles loved to talk. About the library, his Dad (the Sheriff), his friends (who Peter now knew more about than he honestly wanted - apparently they were very open people?), some crazy internet conspiracy he found…. He honestly never ran out of topics, which might have annoyed Peter in any other circumstance. But Stiles managed it with so much wit and acerbic humor, that Peter found himself prone to engage him in any possible way. 

Well, alright. Peter tried to be honest with himself. Stiles was the biggest factor. 

When they weren’t at the library, Peter and Malia went out to the playground and, on two rare occasions, to look at apartments. The first one was a total bust; The building was older than dirt and the apartment itself didn’t look better. There were suspiciously dark spots on the walls and everything smelled rank. When the landlord told him the monthly rent he just laughed and left.

The second one was the tiny one-bedroom with the olderly landlady. The space itself didn’t look too bad. Not quite as small as the photos had suggested and leagues better than the first in regards to the condition. The price was almost reasonable. But the landlady was living in the same building and liked to “keep a close eye” on things. She was also very opinionated. 

  
  


***

“Hi Peter! And of course, hi Malia!“ Stiles greeted them enthusiastically on their next visit. “Listen, I've got great news for you: A friend of mine has an apartment building and is still looking for tenants. I honestly thought the apartment was gone by now, so I didn't say anything, but it’s still available, and I was thinking, maybe it’s big enough for you two? It’s freshly renovated, you would be the first to live there, really! I mean-”

“Hello Stiles,” Peter greeted Stiles dryly with a small smile.

Stiles laughed, caught out of his babbling. “Sorry, I just was so excited to tell you the good news. So, up for a bit more apartment hunting?”

“Sure,” Peter agreed. At this point his options were starting to look bleak, and he had almost resigned to take the apartment with the old landlady. Just until they could find something better. “When and where?”

“I was thinking maybe I could take you there this evening after closing and introduce you?” Stiles looked hopeful.

Peter saw his chance. “Only when I can take you to dinner after.”

Stiles grinned. “It’s a date!”

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus: 
> 
> “Peter??”  
> “Hello Derek. I heard you have an apartment free.”
> 
> Bonus II: 
> 
> “About Malia…”  
> “Oh I know all about it, don’t worry about it.” :)  
> “How??”  
> “Ah, you know.. my dad’s the Sheriff… He recognized your name… maybe looked you up a bit…” :))


End file.
